The box office finds its new king on Day 1. They Call Him OG, starring Pawan Kalyan, has grossed a whopping ₹155 crore worldwide on its first day — eclipsing the Day 1 gross of Coolie and setting its sights on a few other blockbuster starters.
Indian sources report one half of the story: OG raked in here in India alone (paid previews included) an amount of ₹91 crore. Performance overseas also has been stunning, with OG collecting ~ $6 million (≈ ₹50 crore) from international business, including decent business from South-east Asia and North America.
In doing so, OG edges out Coolie, which itself had debuted with a stunning Day 1 of ~ ₹150+ crore globally. That’s an emotional victory: fandom, trade analysts, and media are calling OG’s open an upset of market dynamics of 2025 box offices.
Breaking Down the Numbers: Domestic & Overseas
Domestic (India)
- Paid previews contributed ~ ₹20.25 crore net.
- Regular show collections added another ~ ₹70.75 crore net, taking India’s total to ~₹91 crore net.
- Some sources report the film’s gross (untaxed) above ₹100 crore in India on Day 1.
Overseas
- Paid premiers alone earned the US ~$3 million (~₹26 crore).
- Covering full opening shows, the overseas share is about ~$6 million (~₹50 crore).
- These global numbers propelled OG into the all-time top-10 openers list of Indian films.
- This dual strength – home solidity plus foreign punch – was what enabled OG to take the lead from Coolie’s Day 1 total.
Why OG’s Day 1 Has Such Weight
Massive Advance Bookings & Paid Previews
Prior to its release, OG made one of its highest advance bookings of the year for 2025. In India alone, advance booking was final at ~₹65 crore gross, which was way above Coolie’s equivalent figures (~₹37.3 crore).
Paid previews added momentum, especially for Telugu and key overseas markets.
Cross-market Appeal & Pan-India Strategy
OG released simultaneously across many languages – Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam — broadening its reach as far as possible. Inclusion of Emraan Hashmi as villain created freshness and excitement across non-Telugu markets.
Star Strength, Hype & Fandom
Pawan Kalyan’s fan associations are known by word-of-mouth, turnout, loyalty. The promotional drive intensified anticipation by character teasers, music release, cross-media promotions. The hype cycle offered mass viewership.
Post-Coolie Comparisons & Narrative
Comparing with Coolie offered OG another story. Coolie was one of the standards of Tamil cinema; beating it on Day 1 gets OG in the papers but also confers prestige. Most of the papers write “OG beats Coolie” — generating buzz.
What to Watch Next (Days 2, 3, Weekend)
- Day 2 percentage decline: The percentage decline from Day 1 in multiplex films is normally very high. Sub-one-digit decline or < 25% decline will be ideal.
- Weekend overall performance: Multiplicative factor of Sunday & Saturday is vital.
- Regional hold: especially Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Non-Telugu speaking states.
- Overseas hold: In US, Gulf, SEA — if OG does hold up, or sees front-loaded numbers.
- Word-of-mouth & reviews: When initial crowds or reviewers proclaim that it’s “novel, stylish, entertaining,” then runs on leg day will be assisted.
- Screen count & occupancy: How many screens continue past Friday and multiple daily shows.
OG’s Day 1 Was More Than Box Office — It Was Statement
They Call Him OG didn’t come out huge — it made a statement. Beating out Coolie and hitting record charts makes it a gargantuan commercial and cultural giant of the year of 2025. Numbers are only part of the equation here — only if the substance of the film, the reception by the public towards it, and its longevity over days matches the hype will decide its destiny.
For now, OG rides the tidal wave. As long as it harnesses its Day 1 punch, provides fair movie construction, and maintains secondary markets, we may actually end up with a legitimate era-defining movie.